


Perfect and Bright

by whatamidoingeven



Category: Persona 3
Genre: F/F, basically extensions of canon events
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-09 22:06:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4365947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatamidoingeven/pseuds/whatamidoingeven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one can escape time. It delivers us all to the same end. Though, if you're lucky, sometimes you can find someone who brings calm and meaning to your life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Perfect and Bright

On September 8th, you kiss her. It’s not something you plan to do at all, but the mood seems right. Or at least, you think it does. You’re in Yukari’s room and she has just given you a charm that meant a lot to her and she’s talking about love and she had to have noticed all the signs you were giving off, right? There’s no way she could have not noticed.

At first, she doesn’t respond. And it’s enough of a pause for you to mutter an apology and leave and hope, a little, that a Shadow takes you out in Tartarus tonight so you don’t have to face her again.

* * *

 

On September 12th, she asks if you want to walk home together. You don’t really have an option and you hope this is only half as awkward as you’re dreading it being.

You keep a steady flow of conversation. An outsider would say nothing has changed, and maybe that’s for the best.

You aren’t expecting it when she stops the two of you in front of your dorm.

“Look, about the last time we hung out…” You don’t want her to finish the sentence.

She sighs, “…I don’t really know how else to say this other than I didn’t…mind it? I guess?”

You don’t say anything. You just look at her blankly until she blushes and kicks at the ground.

“I said I would be less cowardly, right? And I meant it, so…”

She leans in, and kisses you. You’re a little taken aback, so you don’t respond right away. You come back to your senses when she pulls away.

She’s frowning. But only for a moment as you lean in and take another kiss from her.

When you break it off, you stumble over your words and try one of the crappy pick-up lines Junpei is always telling you to use.

She laughs, and hits you on the head, “God, you sound just like Junpei. Why’d I have to fall for you?”

Now you’re laughing, and you kiss her again.

* * *

 

On October 4th, you don’t want to talk to anyone.

It’s just as well- no one is trying to talk to you. They are all caught up in their own emotions- guilt and grief are blending together and everyone is down. You haven’t seen anyone smile in hours. Not since before the Shadows. Not since the last time you saw Shinji smile.

It’s late, much later than you would want to stay up before a school day, and there’s a knock on your door.

It’s Yukari, and she’s about the only person you would even let see you right now. You think she might try to console you, or to make you feel better. But she doesn’t. When she walks in the room, the first thing she does is sit next to you. She doesn’t say anything.

You can’t let her or anyone else see you like this. So you try to make a joke about how bad you must look right now, and if she actually wants to date such a mess. But it comes out more as _why would you ever want to date a failure, why would you ever want to date someone who couldn’t even keep all of her friends alive_.

And for the first time that night, you cry. Yukari holds you, rubs your back, but doesn’t say anything. You feel as though she’s dealing with her own grief and you’re feeling guilty that you’re leaning on her like this. That’s supposed to be your job.

But she won’t let you leave, and she won’t let you apologize for her comfort. You’re thankful for her presence, even if your gratefulness comes out in chokes and sobs.

* * *

 

On November 3rd, you beat the final Shadow side by side.

But the Dark Hour doesn’t disappear, and neither does Tartarus.

Even so, she’s there, and smiling at you and you know that no matter what comes next, she’ll be there for you.

She makes you feel strong enough to take it all on, like you’re strong enough to face everything, with her at your side.

You tell her that, in a whisper on the walk home, and she just blushes and pushes you away. But in the end, you’re both smiling.  

You love her. You really, really love her.

* * *

 

On December 3rd, Ryoji asks you to kill him.

You don’t think you can. You don’t think you want to. Ryoji’s always been nice, even if his flirting causes Yukari to glare at him when she thinks no one can see her.

The fact that he was stored inside you isn’t helping much of anything. It brings up more questions than answers.

You have less than a month to decide on his fate, but it’s a lot to process and it seems to you that the job of leader is one you are underqualified for.

For a while, you’re alone with your thoughts and a body that hardly feels like your own. For the first time in years, you wonder what might have happened if you had died in that car crash like you were supposed to.

That’s when Yukari knocks on your door. When she walks in, you can’t help but smile.

“Sorry if I’m being a bother. I just thought I should see how you’re doing.”

You tell her you’re fine, and it’s only a half lie because she’s here now and her presence always makes you happier. And then you crack a joke and ask her how it feels to have kissed someone who housed the physical manifestation of Death.

Her response is a face and a noise usually only reserved for Junpei’s antics, and you can’t stop smiling as you pull her into a hug and bury your face against her neck.

As she runs her fingers through your hair, you whisper a barely audible _I love you._ You’re not sure she hears you until you feel her tense up, and she quietly repeats the phrase back to you.

You smile, and say you owe her like, 50 nice dates when this is all over and she laughs and adds, quietly, “Just being with you is enough.”

You can’t help it-you laugh. And ask her which of her magazines she took that line from, and she pushes you and you’re both laughing.

You decide that, even though it may have been easier to die in that car crash, you don’t care. Yukari is in your life now, and that’s all that matters.

* * *

 

On December 24th, Yukari asks you to spend Christmas Eve with her, and only her.

You expected as much, even if other people may question why you’re spending Christmas Eve alone with another girl. Let them question. You’ve never cared much for what they’ve thought.

The night itself is lighthearted, though you can sense Yukari’s nerves from a mile away.

 “I’m sorry if I’ve been…distant, lately. Everything’s just been so crazy.”

You nod. You don’t need her to tell you this, and you don’t really want to think about that decision or anything else tonight. So you decide not to.

“It’s just-hey, what are you doing!”

You don’t even have to say anything because Yukari’s laughter fills up the room as she rolls under your tickling hands.

“H-hey stop that! That ti-tickles! St-op- hahaha!”

When her giggles finally die off, you kiss her, and it’s only then you realize the position you’ve put yourself in.

You’re on top of her, her body against yours, your hands are resting on her sides, and oh, you can’t hide your blush.

You quickly retract your hands, mutter apologies, but before you can roll off of her and bury yourself in the nearest cemetery, she takes your hand and slowly puts it back where it was.

You look at her, and she looks at you, and she’s blushing, too. “I…wouldn’t mind if you…kept your hands there.”

You think about what she just did, and what she said, and you can’t keep yourself from laughing.

She pushes you off of her and sits up. “Ugh, nevermind!”

You keep laughing, even as she pouts and turns away from you, but you wrap your arms around her shoulders. You kiss her on the cheek, even as she tries to turn away from you. This leads to a whole new struggle, which, once again, results in the two of you rolling around on the floor and laughing.

This time, you don’t move your hands, and you kiss her.

Once you break it, she sighs. “Jeez, what’d I do to end up dating such a jerk?”

You shrug, and then you kiss her again.

When you break apart again, Yukari’s blushing. “Y-you know I…I meant it.”

You smile, and you kiss her again, and when your hands start to wander under her shirt, she does nothing but encourage you.

* * *

 

Hours later, when you lay with Yukari with nothing in-between, she whispers. “I don’t want to lose my memories. I don’t want to forget anything…especially you.”

You wonder why it’s taken you so long to see that the decision in front of you is so, so easy to make.

* * *

 

On December 31st, you tell Ryoji that you will not kill him. He tries and tries and tries to get you to reverse your opinion, but you don’t. Even if you wanted to, even though you’re the only one making this choice, you can’t let everyone down. You’re the leader, and you have to do the leader’s work.

Still, he persists, and once the decision finally sticks, you begin to wonder if you should regret it.

That feeling washes away when you go back to the lobby and everyone greets you with determined faces and trust in their eyes.

* * *

 

On January 15th, the city’s paranoia continues to heighten, but your friends show their resolve.

You’ve cleared out levels of Tartarus, saved missing people, fought monsters much stronger than yourselves.

There is graffiti everywhere, flyers and cult members and it’s like the dorm is a world separate from everything else, but that’s fine. You trust your friends. You know what they can do. Nervous or not, you know you can do this.

Everyone prefers to be alone at this time, except for Aigis, who has developed emotions that match her own steely resolve.

Your time with Yukari is limited, so you make sure that you take every opportunity to kiss her, and that each one relays a message of confidence and strength.

_We can do this,_ they say, _we will do this._

Yukari’s kisses reflect strength in their own right, and soon there is no room in your heart for anything but confidence, determination, and love.

* * *

 

On January 30th, everyone is nervous. Some want to go to Tartarus, but you want to conserve all your energy for tomorrow. You can’t get any stronger in a night, anyway.

Besides, there is something else you have to do.

When you return to the dorm for the evening, you find Yukari and ask her to your room. She’s off to the side, but a few SEES members still shoot odd looks your way. You don’t care.

Yukari doesn’t question you, either. You figure she must have planned on doing this, or something similar.

Maybe it’s selfish to spend the night with her rather than preparing everyone for tomorrow, but you decide it’s okay to be selfish, once in a while.

* * *

 

The two of you stay awake until well into the Dark Hour, talking about nothing and everything, kissing, each memorizing the touch of the other. It’s not much, and the eerie green lighting certainly isn’t romantic, but it’s about all you can do with the little time you have.

You tell Yukari that the team has to beat Nyx tomorrow, so you can treat her to a nice date and some actual romance for once. Her laugh just barely covers the concern in her tone.

She snuggles closer to your side, and whispers. “We have to beat Nyx. We have to.”

You nod, and when you fall asleep, you don’t dream.

* * *

 

On January 31st, you fight the ultimate opponent.

You’ve just fought Jin and Tayaka, and now you have to face someone who is unbeatable.

You don’t panic. You can’t afford to. Though you wonder how you were the one elected to lead a group of people to their deaths. Deaths that you harbored, that you caused simply by existing in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Yukari stands at your side. She squeezes your hand. No one even bothers to look twice.

You turn to face her, and she’s determined. You don’t want to bring her into this. You don’t want her to get hurt.

But you trust her, and that’s what ultimately wins out.

When you face Nyx, you do so with Yukari at your side.

* * *

 

When you ascend towards Nyx and the moon, everyone is screaming.

But you only hear Yukari.

“Stop! Don’t do this! Come back!”

You wish you couldn’t hear anything. It just makes what you’re about to do even harder.

* * *

 

When you return, everyone cheers.

Yukari hugs you, and you hug her back. You’re relieved, so relieved that she’ll live to see the future, and she’ll be able to do all the little things you’d talk about in dreamy tones when you were together.

Even though you won’t be around to join her for them, you know she’ll be strong enough to find that happiness, and that’s happiness in and of itself.

* * *

 

On February 2nd, you’re woken up by a knock on your door.

When you open it, Yukari greets you.

“Hey, ready to head to school?” She smiles.

You hold your breath. It never really occurred to you that it would happen this quickly. With the end of the Dark Hour, memories of the Dark Hour ended, too. You wonder what other memories are gone.

But you can’t let that thought show, so you just nod. You leave to grab your book bag, and when you return, against your better judgement, you reach for her hand. You don’t want to see her reaction.

There is none. The two of you are about to leave before Yukari stops. “Oh, wait, I almost forgot!”

She leans over, and kisses you.

“How could I forget your good morning kiss! Yeesh.” She blushes.

You smile, and you kiss her back, hard.

“Wh-oa, what’s gotten into you?” She asks when you finally break it off, but she’s smiling and you’re smiling and you can’t stop smiling.

* * *

 

On February 14th, Yukari gives you chocolates.

You’ve broken the lock on the door to the dorm’s roof, and it’s where you’re sitting together, your head on her shoulder.

If you wanted to, you could be sad about the fact that Yukari doesn’t even recognize the importance of this place. This is where everything started, after all. But you’re not. There’s no use in sadness, not when you don’t have the time to waste.

You decide to test your courage and try the chocolates. You know Yukari’s cooking history probably better than she does at this point. But you’re brave, so you pop one in your mouth without looking back.

It’s surprisingly delicious. You tell her that.

“I’m glad! I…may not have been on my own in making them.”

You take another chocolate and make a questioning noise as your mouth is full.

“I went down to the cooking club. Did you know we have a cooking club? That shy girl from 2-E helped me out…She’s actually not that bad, you know? I’m not sure why people picked on her so much.”

You nod, and smile. Fuuka’s worked so hard on her cooking…you’re glad she’s still got that skill, that it wasn’t wiped away. You’ve gotten too used to things being wiped away.

Yukari is blushing, and she looks away from you. So you readjust yourself so you’re lying down and your head rests against her lap.

She laughs, and runs her fingers through your hair, “I guess I didn’t really know if I should have made you chocolates…how does this even work, since neither of us are boys?”

You shrug, and say that you guys make up your own rules, but you’re glad she made you chocolates, anyway.

She blushes, again, shoves a chocolate in your mouth and tells you to quit being such a dork. You laugh.

You ponder a way to get her a return gift for White Day, despite your absence.

* * *

 

On March 3rd, you begin to die.

It's not shocking, or painful, or any particular feeling except exhausting. Maybe because you’ve known so much death in your life, or because you've known it's been coming for over a month, but it's really not that impressive of a feeling. 

A knock on your door, followed by a voice wakes you.

“Minako, are you in there?”

You tell Yukari the door is open, and when she sees you, she sighs. “You’re sleeping again? That’s all you’ve been doing for days now…are you feeling alright?”

She walks over to you, takes your temperature, and frowns. “You don’t have a fever…where do you keep all your medicine?”

You point to the cabinet above the sink. You’re getting sleepy again, but you watch as she walks over and rummages through everything, and sighs.

She brings over some generic pain pills, and offers you the bottle. You take her arm instead, and tug.

She falls into the bed laughing, and when you ask her to sleep with you, she blushes. You clarify, but she’s still blushing as you wrap your arms around her and drift off to sleep.

Your dreams are filled with phrases repeating, of Pharos and Ryoji and Nyx and promises that need to be fulfilled. In the morning, you make sure Yukari’s face is the first thing you see.  

* * *

 

On March 5th, the third years graduate, and you and Aigis are on the school’s rooftop.

It’s warm, and pleasant, almost. You’re still tired.

“Sometimes all you need is something simple…like someone to take care of.” You hear Aigis, as if from a distance.

You nod, and smile. You feel a rush of warmth, from your memories and the feelings associated with them. A slight breeze cools you off. Death, you decide, is incredibly comfortable, though there is one thing that could make it better.

You hear Yukari yelling in the distance, and that’s when you decide to close your eyes, smiling.

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> I only cried a little writing this


End file.
